Tamarinds, Aquariums, and Crocodiles

I've been a horrible blogger this past week. My only excuse is that I've experienced a greater than usual amount of productivity in my writing elsewhere, and I went where the winds of productivity took me.

As to the happenings of last week . . .

Tamarinds are in season. I'd never seen a tamarind before now, although I've come across plenty of Thai recipes that call for the sauce. This is what a tamarind looks like when part of its shell has been removed and you stick it (for no apparent reason) on a plate of sticky rice:

I had to consciously remind myself not to think of centipedes or worms. However, aside from their positively alien appearance, tamarinds are quite tasty. You know how the edible part of a fruit is sometimes called the "meat"? Like the meat of a coconut? The phrase actually makes sense with a tamarind, because its texture is somewhere between actual meat and dried cranberries (the taste is in the dried cranberry vicinity, too). Watch out for the seeds, though--I'd swear those things can break teeth.

The tamarind here was part of a fabulous meal/party with a bunch of the other teachers, right after a trip to the local aquarium. As it was a weekday afternoon, the aquarium was nearly empty. It felt a bit like being given a private tour. A little surreal, but it was nice not to have to deal with crowds.

This is the shark tunnel that the aquarium is famous for:

A separate building holds all the fresh-water fish, and a fenced-off area between them has crocodiles. Walking through the aquarium was a lot like walking through an aquarium at home--minus the crowds--but the crocodiles were something else. It was a bit creepy, seeing that many all in one place, and so many of them lying unmoving like so many statues. Walking on the path over the enclosure, I kept thinking about a line from the film Jumanji contrasting alligators with crocodiles. Also, fun fact for the day, crocodiles don't have tongues . . . which explains why the crocodile in Peter Pan might swallow a clock--no tongue means no gag reflex.

Also, apparently the Thai traditional wai of respect extends even to crocodiles, particularly when they're wishing visitors to the aquarium a happy New Year.